


Doctors & Detectives

by MajorWeak



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Anxiety, Blood, Comfort, Death, Depression, F/M, Gore, Heartache, Kissing, Love, Making Love, PTSD, Romance, Rough Sex, Sex, War, kiss, love making
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:28:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorWeak/pseuds/MajorWeak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warning, chapter 7 may have some graphic descriptions of violence. Proceed with caution!</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Seattle Grace Hospital, a well renowned hospital and with some of the best doctors in the world. It was a usual Saturday night, patients filling the E.R and surgeries being scheduled for the days to come. The rain came down hard against against the asphalt outside the hospital as the ambulances roared to the emergency entrance. Two beds rushed out of two seperate ambulances, the doors already open as the doctors were filled in on what was happening which each patient.

"The girl... T-the little girl." Mumbled Harris, eyes lidded and wandering. Her breaths came in short but deep bursts, trying to keep her body running throughout all the damage it had taken. The slipping in and out of consciousness and the inability to string a sentence together or most words were what had Dr Derek Shepherd worried.

The head trauma wasn't the only worrying thing, there was also the collapsed lung, the cuts and bruising around her face and her stomach; the doctors would be surprised if she lived given the damage and excessive amount of blood loss.

"Tests, now!" Commanded Derek, "And right now, MRI, CT and radiology." The man then rushed to try and find the 'little girl' that Harris had previously mentioned. Upon hearing that she didn't make it, he felt a sharp sting, like a punch in the stomach. It was always hard losing a patient but even worse if they were a child.

While tests were being run, Derek was busy trying to find Miss Harris' family but found that she had none on her file. This was a rough case but one he intended doing everything he could on. His feet move faster than his mind can register as he moves to the open OR room, scrubbing in as fast as he can. He starts working on the subdural hematoma immediately, working the best he can to stop the bleeding on her brain.

It was a double surgery and that meant major risks, such as bleeding out, flat lining, a stress induced heart attack, tachycardia and many more things. It wasn't until the chest cavity was cut open that they found internal bleeding to go with the collapsed lung. Both of the surgeries were taking much longer than expected and the blood loss caused a flat line. Paddles were inserted and placed either side of the heart, charging and then jumping the heart. Once, twice, three times......... And the heart rate started back up on the machine, leaving the whole room left in relief.

Another hour passed before the surgeries were finally finished and Harris was moved into the recovery wing where she was constantly observed, put into a drug induced coma due to the fact that neither of her doctors believed her heart couldn't deal with the pain, believing it would put too much much stress on the heart and cause a heart attack or heart failure. The doctors continued checking up on the patient and Dr Shepherd was first at the end of her bed when she woke up.

"Miss Harris, you're in the hospital." Derek started. "Can you remember what happened?"

Harris' eyes flutter open and closed, in between conscious and unconscious for a brief moment. Her blue hues found their way over at the doctor at the end of her bed. "I was protecting a little girl from some bad people and they ran my car into oncoming traffic." She swallowed hard, her dry throat itching. "Is she ok? She's ok right?"

Derek didn't quite know what to say, no doctor did and no doctor could predict right or wrong words to say. "I'm sorry, Miss Harris, she died before she got here." His hands moved into the white pockets of his coat and his lips sealed as he watched his patient. "You suffered some very serious injuries. Trauma to your brain, a collapsed lung, a few broken ribs, a broken arm and internal bleeding. The rest of the injuries; such as the cuts and bruising are all minimal."

Harris looked away from the doctor and toward the window, staring out at the grey clouded sky. "Her name was Amelia and she didn't have family, just foster homes that didn't care about her. She died alone so excuse me if I don't care about my injuries." She turned her head back to look at the doctor. "Now get the hell out and get me my release forms."

Derek looked to the window as she did and then back to his patient. "It's my recommendation that you stay so we can observe you, at least for a few days so that your body can heal. Myself and other consulting doctors noticed some old fractures, dating back from your childhood to your late teens..."

Harris stopped the doctor there and sat up, masking the pain that followed through her movements. "You don't know me Doctor Shepherd so don't pretend that you do and no I don't have family, now get the hell out!"

Derek left the room, hands in his pockets; a heavy sigh accompanying his strides down the hall. Harris eyes filled with tears and she sat up in the bed, wiping her eyes. She couldn't handle the guilt that rattled her body and the incident playing over in her head. The woman had only been home two days after leaving Iraq and was taken back as a detective immediately. She had no time to recover from the incident in Iraq and it haunted her everyday; it affected her more than anyone knew and not even she knew how bad it really was.

Another man walks into the room, white coat with dark blue scrubs underneath. Her eyes focused on the view outside, his on her; worried about his patient. He clears his throat, "Ahem," and gives a friendly smile. He steps closer and stands at the edge of the bed, "Doctor Owen Hunt, your trauma doctor and surgeon." Words smooth, fluent. Eyes a bright blue and hair a reddish orange. "Military huh?" He paused, watching her questionable look. And answers, "I saw the shrapnel scars, typical military injury."

Owen checks her vitals and notes everything down in the chart; glad that she is stable. "A nurse will be around anytime now to give you some pain killers." He watched her a moment longer, mystery in her silence, something he found himself drawn to. His eyes linger a second longer before his body turns and he is walking toward the door, "I'll be back later to check up on you again." The last word almost echoes down the hall as he now makes his way to his scheduled surgery. 

Harris' brother makes a visit but sees his sister sleeping; probably for the first time since she had been bought in. His hand lowers and a bag is settled on the chair by her bed; filled with clothes and some crappy find a word books. The man has no sense on entertainment when it came to hospital. He leans over, a kiss pressed to her forehead, "I love you, kiddo," whispered in her ear. Ryan stayed a little longer but then left her to her peace, not wanting to disturb her. The woman's eyes open, falling to the bag on the chair and then to the hall outside, checking for nurses.

She gets out of the bed, slowly and painfully but changed into jeans and a long sleeve tee; she couldn't be in hospital a second longer, it was torture. Her face was sweaty, left by a nightmare she'd had. She tucks her gun into the waistband of her jeans, her badge into her bag. Her head stays low whilst navigating through Seattle Grace, relieved to find the exit. Harris is slow on her feet but gets to the bar across the road, Joes. The woman sat at the counter, hands shaking; unsure of what was real and what wasn't. Her mouth opens, "Whiskey on the rocks," and her hand pulls money from her pocket and slides it over the counter.

Owen finished his surgery, pager beeping as he walks back into the hall; a 911 page to Harris' room. He's supposed to find her not there, especially given her current condition. A long sigh escaped his lips, hand sweeping across his chin as he thinks, and thinks hard. The hands on his watch turn over, 12am; his shift now over.

Like any good doctor would, he goes in search of his patient. Owen checks local bus stops and train stations. He's about to call it in to Derek but his hand stills on the phone's screen as his eyes capture the woman sat at the bar. He knows these signs all too well; the early onset of PTSD. Harris' eyes are set firmly on the glass in her hand, tongue snaking over her bottom lip; the glass comes to her lips and the amber liquid disappears.

The stool beside her is pulled up, her eyes rolling at the sight of her doctor. She orders one more drink, downing it with ease; uneasy on her feet as she stands. Owen's hand grips her arm firmly when she stumbles, her heart hammering in her chest. She pulls away and jumps back, almost running into some party goers as she rushes out as quick as she can. The handsome doctor follows, cutting her off before she can get to the alley way.

The frail detective shouts, "I don't need your damn charity! I'm fine, I'll come back for my checkups but I'm not staying at that hospital and I sure as hell don't need your help." Her chest tightens, hands shaking and her voice becoming quieter.

"You have post traumatic stress disorder, Detective. You aren't alone and there is help out there." Owen's hands go into his coat pockets, facial features crinkled. "Drinking yourself half to death won't help." A card in his hand, held out to her; slowly stuffing it into her coat at her refusal. "All you have to do is call me."


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks pass by and it seems that Harris is healing well; injury wise at least. Her PTSD however had only gotten worse; night terrors, hard time recognising her flash backs from the reality of now. Dr Derek Shepherd is happy to see his patient, carefully examining his patients injuries.

Derek smiled, "These have all healed up nicely." He goes over the healed wounds once more. 

Harris is calm throughout her fear of hospitals; deep breaths, in and out. The doctor's words seem distant as his torch shines over her eyes, 'Just follow the light for me.' Her eyes follow but flashbacks cloud her vision, the light being her unwinding, or her trigger.

Hands press firm against Derek's chest and shove him while a shaky shadow of a strong woman scatters out of the room. Halls narrow in and become brighter while her heart slams in her chest. 'I'm going to kill you.' The words fall from her mouth as a mutter as her feet carry her through the halls, her shoulder brushing hard against another doctor before her shaking hand pushes a door open.

The doctor turns on his heel and catches sight of the woman. Dr Hunt recognizes her and his intuition kicks in, thus leading him to follow her. Owen notices her movements, the ranting, shaking and sweating. He steps into the room, careful steps followed by calm words. "Harris, it's me. Dr Hunt. You're safe and it's ok."

She throws a fist as she turns, the connection missing but it's made up when hands rap in his coat and slam him against the door. His larger hands gently take hold of her wrists, his eyes find hers and stay locked on hers.

'Listen to me, Harris. Listen to my voice and focus. You aren't at war anymore. You are back home, safe and I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Dr Owen Hunt. Take a few deep breaths.'

Her eyes soften, hands loosen on his coat and breathing becomes even. There's a moment of peace and then there is realization as she takes small steps away from him. Owen moves forward and regardless of her resistance, his arms come around her and hold her until she's resistant to fight the urge of pushing him away.

Owen had remembered when Cristina had done this for him but she didn't know what it was like. Now there was a patient that was going through the same thing and she had someone that knew it all too well. 'I've got you, it's ok. I know it hurts and I know it's terrifying.' Those words allowed the woman to fall apart in his arms, to clutch to the man like he was her own personal life support.

The sobs against his chest indicate just how bad her PTSD was. He can only imagine how much worse it would be if she lived alone. Her eyes dry up and then she is finally able to get her breath and feel somewhat relaxed. The doctor lets her take a moment before escorting her outside and into the cool evening air.

The woman pulls out a cigarette and the doctor scorns her as he snatches it from between her lips. His words soft, "Those things will kill you." Her reply is simple and wordless, eyebrows furrowed. Owen speaks, "They really will. Now I'm going to drive you home and give you a card. I've been through, actually I'm still going through it, and my shrink helps. It does not happen over night but it does help."

The woman, Harris, remains quiet all the while thankful for his help and generosity. She cracks a small smile and Owen notices, smiling himself. A strong arm comes around her shoulders and it pulls her close as she is walked to his truck. Owen knows that she is by no means weak or fragile but he also knows that she needs a shoulder to lean on too.

Owen let's her into his truck and gets into the drivers side. "You aren't very talkative, that's fine. I'll start. I'm Owen but you know that and you know I'm a doctor. I was a doctor with the military before I was a doctor here in Seattle. I like coffee and dogs, kids too."

Harris' turns to him, curious as to why he is even bothering. It's not like she was about to open up about her whole life or want to be his best friend. She does speak. "I'm a detective." Quietly spoken but Owen believes it is a good start. "Take the next two rights. That's me." The Doctor makes an attempt to walk her to her door, it's the shake of her head that stops him.


	3. Chapter 3

Owen left it there without his patient even taking a second glance at him before she walked inside and locked the door behind her. Harris had no idea how she had gotten herself into this entire situation, but she knew that she hated every second of it. The torment of flashbacks and sleepless nights, nightmares and not recognizing her reflection in the mirror. Was it so wrong to want to end it all? To leave the world as it was and finally get some peace of mind? She could never answer that question and she always pushed it down with the aid of a hot shower and a night cap before bed. It was always the same time of morning and always the same dreams or flashbacks. For the war, a child stood in the distance with either a gun or phone, completely unknown to which it was. 'Make a damn choice!', being yelled at her by her Commanding Officer, 'Take the damn shot.' Her gun fires off a round and she snaps into a sitting position in bed, hands scrambling around for her gun, to try and change the situation; to make a different damn call.

Then reality drags her back to the hell that is her life and she goes into the bathroom to shower off the sweat and start the day all again. The difference being that she had been cleared to go back to work, to go and arrest people and solve cases. Harris is sat at her desk writing up a report when she hears it, the loud roar of a bomb and as her eyes scan the room she becomes aware that it's gone and she is back in Iraq and her base camp has been hit. She looks down to see the blood leaking from her stomach and then looks to her arm to see more blood, the damage from the shrapnel. She's got it easy and realizes it as she hears the screams of men and women, some who'd lost limbs, others who were pinned or to damaged to be able to move from their position lying on the ground. Her breath gets caught in her throat and she blinks until she's back at her station with her hand cradling her stomach. Her eyes go back to the paperwork at her desk and she signs the bottom before standing and pulling on her coat.

Owen had thought about her and wondered how she was, if she was seeking the help she needed but he knew when he was in that state that being told or even being advised to go and get help just made it easier to ignore actually getting the help. He washes his hands and arms after finishing his surgery and finally his shift, taking note of the time on his phone as he walks out of the scrub room and to the attendings lounge. He changed into a pair of jeans, an old grey shirt and a brown leather jacket, tucking his phone and keys back into his pockets. He had to know if she was ok, he just couldn't help it and it was all he'd been able to think about lately. He remembered her address and decided to take a drive there, sat in his car for at least ten minutes trying to build up the courage to actually knock on that wooden door, to say hello, to check on her.

"I can see your feet at the door," he called out after his knocking had been ignored. "I just... i wanted, no, i needed to know that you were ok so can you please just open the door?" He can hear her breathing and hear her walk back across the room and then he hears nothing, just the silence. He can take a hint but he can also tell her that he will check on her everyday until he knows shes ok, because that's his responsibility right? As a doctor, as her doctor.

Two weeks pass, still radio silence from her regardless of his efforts to try and help. Owen knows he can only do so much or say so much and he had done as much as possible to help the woman given the situation. It's not until he is paged to one of the conference rooms that he sees her again with her face in her hands. Owen closed the door as he stepped inside, slowly approaching the seat beside hers and takes it up.

"There was a kid, in Iraq and we couldn't tell if he had a gun or a phone..." Harris took a moment to pause to try and breathe as she lifted her face but kept her gaze on her hands wringing together. "I had to make a choice and i made the wrong choice.. he was emailing his pen pal or whatever... his parents just kept crying while they held him in their arms. I killed their son, you know. You have a split second to decide over there if someone is using a phone as a detonator or if it looks like they have a gun... i killed a child, he was eight years old." Then she looked up to the doctor and sucked in a painful breath, "When you sign up they tell you that it will either make you or break you but the first is not true at all. It destroys you from the ground up."

Owen reached out his hand and placed it over hers, gripping tight and he met her gaze with soft eyes and a nod of understanding. "I choked my girlfriend, at the time, when i got back. In my head i was trying to save myself and i woke up and i was choking her. I know demons believe me." He was sympathetic with they way he spoke because he understood it, every single damn part of it; he understood. "But you aren't alone, consider me a friend. I might not always be able to talk right away if I'm in surgery but I will always be around afterward to talk. You aren't alone, Harris, you don't have to be."

There is a moment of silence and understanding that fills the room and for just a moment she doesn't feel so damn alone in the world. Her eyes soften as he stares at her with complete reassurance and even still as he takes a pen from his coat and writes his number down on a piece of paper. Owen looks back up to her as he slides over the paper and gives her another nod. "You just have to call and i'll be your shoulder." His head tips slightly to the side and his eyes scan over her once more as she gives him a nod. He could have sat there with her all night in the silence but his phone being paged takes him away from that and he gives her shoulder a light squeeze before he exits the room and leaves her be for the moment.

Harris took a moment to herself after he left the room, to accept the help she had just been given and then took the piece of paper and slid it into her jean pocket. She walked back home, heart in her throat, mind a million miles away and hands tucked away in her pockets up until she reached her doorstep and unlocked the wooden door to go inside. She didn't feel right then, not one single thing, and for the first time that night she actually slept and slept throughout most of her day off without so much as even a dream, It was a hail mary.


	4. Chapter 4

Owen had expected to hear from her that night, a little surprised that he hadn't but carried on with his surgery and then went home to sleep. Any surgeon would agree that a shift that lasted longer than thirty hours was tedious, that you get angry because you're tired, you might start seeing things or hearing them and that by that time your body is trying to tell you that it's time to shut down and rest for the next set of work. So when the alarm went off and he rolled over to slap it and shut it off, the first thing he wanted was coffee and maybe a light breakfast, before having to go back to the hospital where he would spend the day saving lives and telling loved ones that, 'sorry, we did everything we could but he/she died.' He hated that part of his job, actually, every doctor in that hospital hated that part of their job. That a family's life could be destroyed with just a few words from their mouth.

Owen arrived and had just changed into his scrubs and white coat, only just coming into the ER when he almost froze on the spot, his heart jumping in his chest. There was that fierce detective walking through the door with a man cuffed to a gurney, bleeding from three different places and god did she look confident doing her job. He swung into action as he burst into Trauma room one and tossed his white coat to the side for a yellow coat and set of gloves. His eyes met hers and for a moment he couldn't for the life of him remember what the hell he was supposed to say. Harris smiled back at him and took it upon herself to fill him in given his lack of speech. 'Johnathan Wake, thirty two years old with multiple gun shot wounds including stomach and shoulder. He is also our lead suspect in a homicide case so please do what you can to make sure this guy gets a long jail sentence like he deserves.' He gave a firm nod and then looked to one of the interns, 'page cardio and general, now! Detective i'm gonna have to ask you to leave." He called above all the noise.

Harris listened to her doctor and gave a nod before she left the room and took a seat in the waiting area, catching her boss up whenever she was updated by an intern, resident or surgeon. It was a long day and there were a hundred other things that she would rather be doing than waiting to find out if her suspect would make it out of surgery. So she wrote up her report as she waited, sipping her coffee on occasion when she felt the need for it. It had taken eight hours and she'd just about fallen asleep when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder which alerted her right away, almost startling her and causing her to jump out of her seat, which was still taking some time to not do so often. When she saw Owen she calmed down and stood up to stretch out her legs and then craned her neck to crack it either side. "He's alive, I can tell by the look on your face. Surgeons usually have this look about them when a surgery didn't go well."

Owen's brow raised and the corner of his mouth crooked upward, almost surprised that she was able to read him that well, then again he figured she had more than likely spent a decent amount of time in and out of hospitals, enough to be able to read a doctors face with ease anyway. He cleared his mind and then stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat as he gave a nod, signaling her to follow him. "You're right he did survive but he is in for a very long recovery. At the moment he is stable but not enough to move just yet so he will have to stay here a few more days until his vitals have gone up." Owen led her to the cafeteria and ordered them both a coffee, handing her one as the two of them walked over to sit at an empty table. "How are you?"

"Well," she started and paused to take down a mouthful of coffee and actually let herself enjoy it. "I slept for something like eighteen hours or more. It was refreshing to sleep that long without waking up to a nightmare for once. So for now I'm doing ok, one step at a time or whatever." She cracked a smile and held back a laugh, "You kind of stalked me for a while and you did know i was a detective which kind of makes me think you are actually pretty crazy." Owen opened his mouth to speak but couldn't and instead found himself shaking his head through a soft laugh, hand raising.

"In my defense you were my patient and i was worried about your well being. It makes it logical to check up on you.. at home.. ok maybe it was a little far but i knew what it was like and no one should have to go through that alone." He laughed it off and took a mouthful of his coffee. "I don't always stalk my patients so don't go writing me up for it." Owen felt himself around the woman, like they were on the same wavelength in more ways than one. "When i served our Humvee got hit, i lost my whole unit and i somehow survived." He told her, comfortable to confide in her like it was natural. She nodded, "well my chopper got hit, i survived but no one else did," she added in and Owen tilted his head. His eyes scrunched half way as he opened his mouth, "are we competing with tragic war stories? Because that is wrong, very wrong."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes with a soft laugh before she answered. "Oh come on. I'm dark but not that dark." The detectives eyes lit up in a way that he hadn't seen for the short time he'd known her but it made his heart swell seeing the sparkle in those already beautiful blue hues. As she brought her coffee to her lips Owen took a moment to catch the breath that she had just stolen from him and then swallowed the lump in his throat, shaking his head at himself. The red head liked the way her face lit up when she laughed and he liked the sound, wanting to be able to hear and see it again and again. "Well since i bought you a coffee and now we're friends it means that the next one is on you." He was sure in his words, confidence burying his nerves deep down in the pit of his stomach. 'That's fair enough,' he heard her say and he remembered to breathe once more and let go of those nerves.

Owen opened his mouth and groaned to himself when his phone beeped a page to him, shaking his head as he looked back to the detective. "Incoming trauma so i'll see you around. Don't forget my coffee." Those last four words like a light jab to her and she rose her hand to wave him off with a soft 'yeah yeah' following it. He smiled to himself as he made his way back to the ER to get suited in gown and gloves for the new trauma that had just about arrived at the double doors of the emergency room. Harris had gone to check on her suspect, make sure his hands were still cuffed and then went home to shower and eat so that she could get back to the hospital where she would most likely be the next few days, at least until the patient was stable enough to be moved into a prison hospital. Harris arrived back at the hospital and sat outside the suspects room and then before she knew it she was being woken up by an intern, Dr Shepherds orders according to the barely legal looking doctor in front of her. 

Derek had heard she was in the hospital and asked an intern to find her and then send her to him for a check up, which she did so after rubbing her eyes and getting more coffee. The brunette walked into the room Derek was occupying, brain scans lit up on screens in front of her. He smiled, moving across the room to shake her hand and then offer her a seat. "Thought that i might check in with you since you've been avoiding the hospital for a while." The doctor pulled out a torch and asked her to follow the light, then his finger, then his light once more before she waved his hand away and blinked a few times. "Are you trying to blind me or something, Christ" She mumbled and moved to stand back up. "I have not been avoiding the hospital, i was avoiding my ptsd." Harris added and cleared her throat, "and i am sorry that i raged out on you."

Owen was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep but that changed when he heard the news broadcast in the waiting room announcing a huge storm set to arrive in just a couple of hours. So he spent his time making sure there was enough blood at the blood bank, they had enough blankets and supplies and then went to an on call room to try and get at least half an hour of sleep in before it became even busier in the ER. When he did wake up he was paged back to the pit to find the traumas rolling in faster than they could treat them and so according to the wind and pouring rain outside, the storm had rolled in much quicker than anyone expected. 

Harris had swapped out with two security guards and decided to refresh herself with coffee and a walk around the hospital in hope to help keep herself awake. She could hear the sirens mixed in with the rain from inside which said a lot about the storm itself, not that it worried her in the least. She liked rain, whether or not it came on it's own or as a package deal with a storm, even if it did make her job that little bit harder. As she walked the corner and into what the doctors referred to as the pit she heard the loud collision outside, saw most of it too. Natural reflexes got the better of her and she tossed her coffee in a nearby bin before dashing outside. Two car collision between an ambulance and a sedan that left one on fire and then other completely overturned. The detective rushed to the fireball and covered her face with her forearm as she got closer, looking for any sign of life when she heard the scream from inside. She pulled her jacket off and wrapped it tight around her hand before punching the window until it shattered, doing her absolute best to pull the driver out as fast as she could.


	5. Chapter 5

Harris was all about to move on to the next car when she heard the man begging for her to save his son, her heart in her throat when she heard those words. She swallowed hard and began her search, checking the car and nearby to make sure he hadn't been thrown out of the car in the collision. She then caught glimpse of the boy pinned under the car and went to his side in a second, trying her hardest to think of a way to get this kid free before the car blew up. Her solution came down to one of two things, try and lift the car up enough so the kid could free himself or grab the large branch just over from her and use it to pry the car up some. It was a simple choice but one that proved so much harder than she had originally thought. The detective couldn't see to know if anyone else was tending to the paramedics so she had to work fast and smoothly or risk everyone dying.

Owen had rushed out with a few more surgeons just in time to see the car blow up and then he heard one of the interns saying that a police officer ran straight toward the wreck to try and save people. His stomach turned in knots and he felt nauseous because he knew that it had to be her, Harris, and he just hoped to god that she would come walking through the smoke rather than be dead on the side of the road. He wanted to make a move, hell he tried, by standby firefighters wouldn't allow him to and it just made him sicker with worry but then he saw her walking across the way carrying a child in her arms. Dr Karev took the boy on a gurney as soon as she was close enough and then rushed him straight off while Owen took the detectives wrist and took her to an empty trauma room where he then paged cardio, general, plastics and ortho to be sure.

"You're reckless," He started as he began checking her over for any serious injuries, "And that was stupid!" The doctor caught up the surgeons as they entered the room, unable to even look at the woman sat on the bed. She rose her brow and grit her teeth, taking Owen's arm to turn him and make him look at her. "Stupid? You're telling me that you wouldn't have done the same thing? There was no way in hell I was just going to leave them there to burn to death. The kid is only eight, he hasn't even lived yet. I thought he deserved that chance, hell i thought you being a doctor that you would understand that!" Her words cut through his ears and left him angry, so damn angry because he nearly just watched her die, because she almost left her and it scared him to death. "No. You helped that boy because you killed one in Iraq, the same age. You thought that saving him would save yourself, change what you did over there!"

Harris grit her teeth together and held back her anger the best she could. "You can go, Dr Hunt! You're fired, you're no longer my doctor so go and find someone else who can do their damn job!" The argument left the room in a dead silence and his eyes said everything he wanted to say before he tore his gloves from his hands and then his gown. He tossed them in the bin and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him. 'Your shoulder is dislocated and i'm sorry because this is going to hurt,' Dr Torres stated softly, taking her arm in one hand and using the other to pop the joint back into the socket. The brunette groaned as the pain shot through her body but that was all, aside from a small burn on her leg and a cut across her brow, she was fine. The burn got cleaned up and wrapped and the cut was cleaned and stitched and her shoulder placed in a sling before she was cleared to leave.

Harris had wished that leaving was optional but the storm outside made that task near impossible so she went back to her suspects room and sat down beside the bed, trying to put the doctors words out of her mind but that too was just impossible. Who the hell did he think he was to assume something like that? To say that she did that in some sort of sick hope her conscious would be cleared for her mistake over in Iraq. She told him that in confidence and he just threw it out there in front of everyone and she felt like she had been put on the stand for judge and jury to judge her and give her a guilty plea. Half of them looked at her with anger and the others with pity, both of which she hated on a new level. She could barely wait for this storm to pass, so that she could get the hell out of that hospital and away from Owen Hunt, maybe go to a bar and down a few drinks before going home or back to work or do something that didn't include her sitting around to be left with her own menacing thoughts.

Owen went to treat patients and check on the crash victims to make sure they were all ok, a miracle that they were aside from a broken bone and some cuts and bruises. He felt a pang of guilt for throwing something so personal in her face and he knew that it was far too late to take any of it back. He headed for the basement and stood over the vent waiting for that cool rush of air to shoot up and through his body and clear his head. As much as he wanted to go and apologize he also didn't know how to or how an apology would help in the slightest, knowing he just took the trust that she had put in him and thrown it in her face. The red head stayed standing for minutes as he let his head be cleared with the aid of the rushing air and then he went to an on call room to try his best to sleep it off. He shot up in bed after a few hours in a cold sweat with shaky hands and sighed to himself before he got up and headed to the attendings lounge to wash his face and get himself a coffee while he could, wanting to take one to her too, but didn't.

By then the storm had cleared for the most part, leaving some rain but it meant that Harris was back home showering and making herself something to eat after having a cup of coffee. She then got the fireplace started and sat on the couch in front of it, staring at the wall above her with an emptiness she couldn't describe at that moment. Staring led to her fatigue catching up to her which led her to falling asleep on the couch for a few hours, only to be awoken by a loud knock at the door. She stumbled to her feet, yawning as she moved to open the wooden door, surprised to find Owen there, drenched from the rain like he'd been standing there for hours trying to muster up the courage to actually knock. He looked at her, to the ground and then right back to her again and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm sorry... I was angry and... I'm sorry." He stated softly and could see the anger building back up in the blue of her eyes. Before she could speak his hands cupped either side of her face and pulled her to him as he kissed her long and hard, opening his eyes to look at her as their lips parted but his hands remained against her cheeks. 

"We barely know each other," She started and he shook his head as his thumb caressed her cheek and his eyes, his gorgeous blue eyes, scanned over her. "So what?" He stated softly before she pulled away from him. "So? You're crazy." The detective stepped back inside and closed the door, leaving him to sigh to himself while she went down the hall and laid down in bed. Owen went home, kicking himself for doing all of this in the wrong order, for messing all of this up because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and just do his job without letting his feelings intervene.

Owen hadn't heard from her in a week and it was driving him crazy so he pulled her number from her patient file and dialed it into his phone without thinking twice about it, waiting for the pickup until it finally happened and his heart pounded inside his chest. "So what we barely know each other. Go on a date with me and we can get to know each other. Just one date." The line goes quiet and the silence almost kills him but the second he hears her voice his face lights up with a smile."Fine, one date and that's it. Just text me the details." The line went dead and he sat with his phone in his hand for a second as he collected himself. The doctor called around and made reservations for the two of them and then made sure that he sent her the details, also telling her that he would pick her up at eight. He was nervous because he never went on dates, it was usually just kiss someone, marry them, find out they don't want the same things and then end up divorced and heart broken but he had a feeling about her, different from Cristina and Amelia and god did he want it to work in his favor for once. Just once.

Both of them spent the day working and then showered once they were able to go their homes and get ready for their date. Owen decided on jeans and a nice dress shirt while Harris went for a pair of skinny jeans and a black dress shirt. She heard the knock at the door and answered it to see Owen standing there with a small smile on his face that grew the second he saw her face. He stepped aside to let her out before he began walking her to his truck, opting to open the door for her and then take that moment to regain his breath as he walked to the drivers side and step inside. "You look beautiful." He commented as he started up the truck and began the drive to the restaurant where they were shown to their table and seated with a menu. The brunette scanned over the menu and he just watched in awe, dumbfounded by her beauty and the way she held herself so strongly and confidently.

The waiter asked if they knew what they wanted and as soon as she had set her menu down and gazed into her eyes with a straight face and let out a soft breath. "Yes i already know what i want," he spoke softly, not breaking his gaze away from her. She smiled and then looked to the waiter, making her order of the chicken roast, Owen making the same order. The waiter then left them and the red head looked to his date with a smile, "I like the way a chicken in the oven makes the house smell. I love a roast. I was the chief of surgery at the hospital but gave it up to be chief of trauma again. I've done multiple tours and I've also been married twice and divorced twice. We wanted different things." He shrugged but was happy to tell her parts of him that weren't his usual conversation talks. The detective listened tentatively with a smile and folded her hands together on the table. "I don't have family, my brother abandoned me when we kids, my father was abusive and i haven't seen him since i was sixteen. My mother died when i was six and my younger sister when i was nine. I did a lot of things that i shouldn't have and then sorted my life out and became a cop. then served and came back and took my job back as a cop again."


	6. Chapter 6

"You weren't lying when you said you were dark," Owen teased with a small smile that earned him a soft laugh from the woman sat across from him. She had opened her mouth to speak but was cut short when the waiter carefully placed a plate in front of either of them. They ate and talked some more but eventually they two of them had to call it a night with the both of them having chaotic jobs to go back to tomorrow. The doctor walks her back to his truck after they split the bill and once more he opened the door for her before he went to the drivers side and slipped inside. "And now we know each other a little better," were the words he spoke as he slowly merged into the traffic of the night. The detective rolled her eyes and shook her head but she couldn't put aside the smile that stayed apparent on her face as he drove, music a soft echo between them. "You know," she started and turned to look at him and he took a quick glance at her and then looked back to the road ahead. "There's still so much that you don't know." The red head's lips turned up into a crooked smile and he moved his hand from where it rested against the gear shift and rested it against hers. "I know that," He chimed in, "But I'd like the chance to get to know the rest."

Owen pulled up in the drive and turned the key in the ignition, pushing his keys into his pocket as he slid out of the car so that he could walk the detective to her door. He didn't want the night to end, not yet anyway but it was getting late, not that it bothered him too much but he didn't know what her limit was for a date so he decided it better be a decent length rather than over do it. The doctor watched her pull her keys from her pocket and unlock her door and he was unable to take his eyes off of her, even when she stood in the doorway and said goodnight to him. His lips straightened out as he stepped forward to press his lips against hers, his arm under hers and wrapped around her waist and his sparse hand tangled in the mid length locks at the nape of her neck. It was fierce, passionate and damn near breathtaking. "We barely know each other," the woman murmured against his lips and he parted for the briefest of moments to gauge her reaction as his eyes scanned her face, lips pressing together as he spoke out a soft, "so."

Harris pulled him inside by the front of his jacket and he lifted her with ease in his arms and kicked the front door shut with his foot. He made his way over to the couch where he laid her down and hovered above her, his lips dragging from her lips and to her neck where his hands then skimmed at the hem of her shirt before beginning to pop open the buttons. Her head fell back and a soft moan fell from her mouth as his hands then pushed her shirt from her shoulders, allowing him to explore her smooth skin with teeth,mouth and tongue. He gently trailed kisses between her breasts, dragging another soft moan from her, while his hand moved up to somewhat cup her jaw and cheek, his index finger splayed up against the corner of her lips where she then suck the digit into her mouth to elicit a soft grunt from the man above her. Owen's sparse hand slipped beneath her back to unclasp her bra so that he could properly admire her body the way that he so desperately wanted to and he did so by mouthing over her breasts and then between her nipples until they became hardened nubs in his mouth.

His sparse hand roamed to the waistband of her jeans and then down to undo the zip and button while he kissed delicately down her stomach and sucked a light mark into her hip when he had began pulling her jeans from her slender hips. The detective kicked off her boots and Owen looked up at the woman with glazed blue eyes and a soft look that shone through his hues as he finally removed her jeans and then began kissing over her thighs and finally, kissing her wet heat through the fabric of her black panties, happy to find her already wet. He hooked his fingers either side of her hips and slid her panties down her legs and over her ankles before flinging them somewhere behind him, eyes gazing at the naked woman like she was a priceless piece of art that he had been lucky enough to lay eyes on. Owen kissed back up her thighs and buried his face in her, his tongue swirling around her clit in soft circles while her hands carded through his ginger hair and locked in the top. He felt her back arch the more he continued and her hips occasionally roll up against his mouth, urging him to press his tongue inside her and use his thumb to circle her clit and draw her to an earth shattering orgasm filled with longing moans and her writhing body beneath his touch.

His tongue lapped at her once more before he kissed his way back up her body and back to her lips, crashing their mouths together in a heated and desperate kiss while she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt and jeans. Owen kicked his shoes off and was somewhat surprised when the woman pressed her hands flat against his chest and pushed him back, gazing at his toned body before running her short nails up his chest and into his hair so that she could pull him back above her and kiss him long and hard while her hand freed his hardened cock from the restraints of his jeans. The doctor moans at the slightest touch and raises himself so that he can kick off his jeans along with his boxer briefs and go back to kissing the insatiable woman below him that so desperately needed much more attention than he had already given her. His hand raises her leg to his side and holds it there as he pushes himself slowly inside her and stills for a brief moment so that the both of them can swallow a strangled breath that they had been holding in. Owen moves his free hand to cup her face again as he kisses her and begins rolling his hips into her in a gentle rhythm until she is rolling her own hips in a manner of asking for just that little bit more.

"So beautiful.." He murmurs against her lips as his pace fastens and she moans open mouthed against his jaw, leaving him to gentle pull her lip between his teeth and kiss her so hard that it could almost bruise the two of them. Owen can feel her walls tighten around his cock and he grunts into her mouth as he gives her a few harder thrusts to push her over the edge so that he body is left in a spasm and he fills her with his cum as she pulls him over the edge with him, his mouth parted messily over hers as he moans and then lets his head drop forward to rest in her neck where he places soft kisses and works on getting his breath back. Harris' hand cards back and forth through his hair and Owen's hand brushes repeatedly against her arm, so soft and delicate in his motions. He shifts, moving to lay on his back and draw her into his arms where she lays on her stomach and keeps her head against his chest and her fingers tracing over his shoulder. "We shouldn't have done this," she mumbled softly and the red head was quick to look down at her with furrowed brows and his hand stilled on her back. "Don't get me wrong, that was... earth shattering but now it just makes things confusing and messy." She sighed and Owen smiled, earning a gentle poke to his side to which he laughed and then gently took a hold of her wrists.

"It doesn't have to be messy or confusing, just go on another date with me and until then we can just be friends. Just two people getting to know each other and see where it ends us up. No one said that we had to rush right into anything. I, do not want to rush this so don't freak out." God he was so sweet and assuring and it made her smile like a fool while she gave him a nod in answer. Harris stood up and stretched and Owen watched in utter admiration with the way her body and muscles flexed but his mind was bought back to reality when she pulled him to his feet and walked him down the hall to her bedroom. "If you're staying, and i'd like you to, than we're not sleeping on my couch when i have a big bed that is twice as comfortable." She told him, crawling onto the mattress and under the covers. The red head shook his head and then joined her, drawing her back into his arms and then pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Owen knew that he would definitely not be jumping neck deep into a new relationship as fast as he had previously with the two women he had ended up marrying. He would go slow and see what they had in common and see if they both wanted the same things for their future and a part of him really hoped that she wanted the same things that he did because he had already became so easily attached to her and he certainly didn't want to be a complete failure when it came to his love life. While his mind went over all of this the woman curled into him had fallen asleep and he hadn't even realized it until he had looked down at her and then smiled to himself. It felt nice to have the warmth and comfort of sleeping next to someone again and that was something he could definitely fight for because it was worth every drop of sweat and every second of time invested in it. Owen closed his own eyes and let himself drift to sleep until early hours of the morning when he heard his phone constantly beeping down the hall, along with the detectives. The both of them were on the exact same wavelength as they shot up in bed and then headed down the hall and to where their clothes were scattered around the room. They got dressed bit by bit as they looked over their phones and then back to the other to give a small laugh and at the same time have their words collide to be the exact same thing, 'work.' Harris moved over to Owen as she finished buttoning her shirt up and leaned up to kiss him before he had to race off and back to the hospital while Harris had to leave to tend to a crime scene.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, chapter 7 may have some graphic descriptions of violence. Proceed with caution!

'Dr Hunt, we have multiple incoming Traumas,' An intern spoke while Owen gowned and gloved himself. The intern filled him in as he moved to the emergency bay where Grey Sloan's other infamous doctors stood waiting on the incoming paramedics. "So what exactly do we have?" The redhead asked, Meredith looking to him with softly furrowed eyebrows and a tight lipped look on her face. 'A bombing and we don't know how many we've got coming but they told us to be prepared so Kepner is inside making sure everything is ready.' Owen took a moment to close his eyes and draw in a breath of air before the panic and chaos would ensue. He had always thought that those reminders of his time would gradually disappear over time but in times like these he was reminded that it would always be there, those daunting little memories of how bad it had been over there whilst doing his absolute best to keep wounded soldiers alive, a lot of them including bombing survivors.

Harris came to a halt a long the roadside of the scene, not that there was much left aside from some bodies, limbs and large pieces of the collapsed shopping center. She mumbled a soft 'damn' to herself as she moved in to greet on site respondents along with her boss and National Security Agents. It was all she needed to see to know that this wasn't just some random act of hatred and rather a terrorist attack on the public eye, injuring and killing at least hundreds and possibly thousands. The detective pulled on gloves and was given a face mask before she was able to enter the scene and look around, choking on her own breath as she took note of all the damage. There was too much at this point to determine what the bomb was and the cameras were not going to help much in this case considering how badly the scene looked which meant that they would be working ten times harder to identify what the bomb was and who the bomber was.

The woman made her rounds to speak to witnesses and take down statements so that they could try and put together some sort of timeline and hope to get a description of anyone looking suspicious before or after the time of the incidents occurrence. She was on strict orders for this case which meant that extreme procedure was put in place regarding every single step into this investigation, including her typed reports. On orders she went back to the station to file away statements into the computer, sat at her desk with an unease in her stomach that she couldn't quite shake off no matter how hard she tried to take her mind off of it. The phones around the station would ring non stop from worried civilians down to reporters trying to get an inside source for a story but when her phone rang the voice on the other end made her skin crawl with just a mere 'hello.' "Detective Harris, may I ask who's calling and in what it regards to?" Regardless of how eerie it was she still had to remain professional and keep her composure, more so now than ever, just like when she had been a soldier over in Iraq.

The voice on the other end was soft but threatening as it rang through the line, the detectives hairs on stand when she heard what he said next, heart in her throat and stomach in knots. She did her best to keep the caller on the line and try to get the number traced but it was a failed plan and she knew it the second that the man had given his statement, the same second that she heard the line go dead. She immediately called her boss and filled him in, trying to keep the sheer worry hidden from her voice as she spoke and he told her that they now had to organise a complete investigation into her call and also organise group task forces to some of Seattle's closest and popular destinations. It would be a hard task because there were numerous places that this man could target from schools, amusement parks and right down to the hospital. The hospital, Owen, god she had to find a way to warn him without this getting out to anyone else.

Harris had been about to dial Owen's number into her phone when everything suddenly went black and the sound of screams and shattering concrete crashed upon her, nothingness, ringing, pain. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious for when she blinked her eyes open, her hand coming up to wipe the blood from out of her eye, her ears ringing and her vision partially blurred for the moment. She sat up slowly and covered her ears in a moment of utter pain from the ringing that screeched through her ears, her head pounding like it was about to explode and detach itself from her neck. The detective removed her hands when the ringing came to a stop and she looked up and around what had once been the precincts main room, now in pieces with still bodies and filled with the sounds of screaming and filled with the scene of a battlefield. The sirens were a soft echo outside of the collapsed lot and as she stood she looked down to her stomach to check for additional bleeding, struck out on luck with a few broken ribs and a few minor burns. The moving of concrete outside was loud and echoed over the screaming as she made her way around to count live bodies and do her best to keep her blue blooded family alive.

While it was a tedious task she finally caught sight of sun through a new found hole that emergency services and civilians had helped create and god was she thankful that people were finally being removed but she couldn't bring herself to leave when part of her family were still trapped beneath all of the debris. Harris had been escorted outside by a firefighter and to a paramedic on standby, who advised she be taken right to hospital but with her refusal and her Captain's permission, she was able to stay and help free as many people as she could. The pain she was in was torturous but she would never give in to it while there were still people trapped inside, people that had worked with her for years, that had taken bullets and hits for her, she would not give up on them without a damn good fight.

At some point she was forcibly removed from the scene, told that she couldn't do anymore to help, that the rest that were trapped were now gone, that it was now recovery rather than rescue. Her heart sank in her chest and she took the next ambulance to the hospital where she was greeted by Dr Jackson Avery from the plastics department and none other than Dr Owen Hunt himself. Owen hadn't expected their next patient to be her and when he saw her his face softened as he moved to the side of the gurney and got her inside where they moved her to the cafeteria that they had turned into another emergency bay, given the numbers that they had already had come in. Scans were ran to check for internal bleeding or a bleed on the brain but she had been one of the luckier people that had come in. Avery stitched the wide gash on her head and under her eye and then treated her burns while Owen stood by her side and gently took her hand in his to give it a soft squeeze.

"How many have we lost already?" She asked, looking up to Owen with a concerned look and he shook his head and blew out a soft sigh before replying with a soft 'too many.' Jackson finished up and told her that he would need to see her back at the hospital twice a week to continue treating the burns and all she could manage was a nod in his direction before he left them. "Owen listen, you need to be on high alert," she started off and he looked at her with furrowed brows and a sucked lip. "There is another bomb coming, we don't know where or when but I need you to tell those who need to know at this hospital so that they can be on high alert. No one else is to know aside from you, your boss and the heads of each department, they can't tell anyone else or talk about it. They just need to be sure to report any suspicious activity and they need to do it to you or one of the officers that will be in the hospital."

Those words haunted Owen, after everything negative in the world, someone had to go and add to it by killing innocent people for whatever sick reason just so they could make their mark on the world. He gave her a nod and then left her side to go and inform everyone that needed to know, which seemed difficult but had been done with the utmost urgency and secrecy that could be given. It was a very sensitive issue for anyone as far as terrorism was concerned and that put everyone on edge just that little bit more. Harris pushed herself from the bed and got up to walk around the hospital because if she wasn't allowed to be out on the field trying to stop the next attack from happening then she could sure as hell make sure that it didn't happen at this hospital. That was not going to happen, not on her watch.

She received a check in from her boss, who had bought her a change of clothes from her car along with a new badge and gun in case of the worst case scenario happening. He knew his team all to well so he knew that it wouldn't come as a surprise when she told him that she would be roaming the hospital and keeping a constant guard. The detective thanked him and then went to a nearby bathroom to change her clothes and clip her badge to the band of her jeans and tuck her gun into the back of her jeans where her shirt would cover it. Harris had tossed her torn and burnt clothes in the bin and did her best to wash the blood from her hands and face before leaving the bathroom and going back to wander through the halls of the hospital.

When she turned the corner she saw Owen stood dead still and a man across from him, backpack on and gun focused at him. Her hand shook at the sight and she knew that she had to play her cards very carefully on this one or not only would Owen die, half the hospital would too. She moved into the mans view and kept her hands raised out in front of her, then in an instant she pushed Owen aside and out of the way because like hell would she let him die, not when she came to care about him the way that she did. The man's finger flailed to the trigger and she moved her hands back out in front of herself once more in a show of good will, his finger becoming still on the trigger once more but her heart still remained rampantly thudding in her chest. Harris couldn't take a shot without the man going down, which could be very dangerous with the impact the bag would take.


	8. Chapter 8

Harris had now been standing there for minutes when it felt more like hours, toe to toe with a terrorist and trying to think of a way to either convince this man to surrender himself or to disarm him. Neither option would be easy and he had already made it perfectly clear to Owen that he was not going to back down. "Look," she began and started making small steps toward the man, earning her a shaky hand from the gun holder, but so far it was the only reaction she was getting which was a good sign and a good opportunity to see how close she could get to him without spooking him. "You don't have to do this, you don't have to be the bad guy. It is clear that you had a point to make clear and you have done that but no one else has to be hurt. We can talk and you can tell me what I can do to help you, you just have to put the gun down and trust me." Her hands remain still in front of her as she continues moving in until she's arm length away and he steadies his aim and demands she not move one more step.

Owen had seen this in movies, heard about it from soldiers he had treated as patients, but he never wanted to see something like this in person. The detective gave him a firm nod and stopped on the spot, lips turned straight and eyes trained on the man in front of her. She had to somehow cause a small enough distraction that gave her a gap to make a move and try not to get thousands more people hurt and killed in the process. Harris waved her hand and the man turned to look behind him, giving her the perfect chance to move forward and place one hand on his arm and the other on the top of the gun, making sure she had a tight grip as she tried to disarm him. She was winning the battle when the gun sounded off, her hand remaining on the gun, finally pulled loose from the mans hands so that she could fire off two shots into the mans leg, disabling him while the swat team flooded around the corner to remove the bag from the mans shoulders and take him into custody.

The detective handed off the gun and then turned around to see Owen, his eyes widened and she wondered just what it was he was so surprised to see, at least until she felt the dampness beginning to seep through the chest of her shirt and trail down the skin of her arm. Her eyes moved from his and to her left shoulder and chest where she finally realized that she was the one who had been shot first, that she didn't realize it because of the adrenaline flowing viciously through her body. Owen had rushed the corner and down the hall just as her body had hit the floor, with one hand he pressed it as hard as he could against the wound and then paged for a gurney and cardio to meet him in OR 2. "Harris, listen to me. You don't get to die today, you understand me. Look at me ok, just stay with me, you're going to be ok." It was so hard for him to believe his own words but he had to, damn it she had just saved the hospital and all the people in it, earlier she'd been in the midst of a bomb and pushed through the pain to pull people from the wreckage and now, now she had been shot trying to save lives, damn it. She was so reckless... so stubborn.

A few interns finally arrive with a board that they move her to on Owen's count and then the lift the board and place her on the gurney. "OR 2!" His voices yells above the noise, climbing a top the gurney to place both hands on the wound and keep pressure while the gurney was rushed through doors and halls to arrive in the OR. Harris coughed and moved her bloodied hand to grip Owen's arm, a plea in her eyes as she took another look at him before falling unconscious. Cristina came into the room and was immediately gloved and gowned taking a blade into her hand once her patient had been sedated and Owen had moved so she could cut her chest and crack it open to see the damage and repair it. Owen stood back, feeling so helpless and terrified at the sight of him and Cristina saw that when she glanced at him briefly.

"Owen, get out of my OR and get yourself cleaned up, get a coffee and go treat patients. It will be ok." Not that her words helped him, not anymore, not when it was her lying on the table with her life on the line. "Dr Hunt!" She shouted and he looked to Cristina with the same plea in his eyes that the woman on the table had given him, and, then he left the OR and went to change his scrubs and wash the blood from his hands. He couldn't bring himself to work right now, hell, he could barely bring himself to touch his coffee while the scene played in his head over and over, his eyes drawn to the floor of the waiting room. 'You really like her huh," the voice was familiar and it took Owen a moment to register that it was Callie, at that point he looked at her with tear filled eyes and gave a weak nod. "I don't know why I do. We barely know each other..I.." He shook his head and sat his coffee down, hands trying to get his words across expressively. "She's reckless and stubborn and hard headed. She pushed me out of the way and dove neck deep into that whole thing... She scares me, she scares me because I have something that I'm scared of losing and I'm scared because I don't know what it is."

Callie reached for the coffee and handed it back to Owen, a sympathetic look written on her face like she was a blank canvas that an author had just written a story on to be read. "Drink the coffee, Hunt. It could be a long surgery so drink the damn coffee." Callie had been Owen's best friend for a long time now and he truly knew that without her he would be lost in a stormy sea of high waves with little to no breaks between. "It's her job to do this kind of thing but I don't think she would have just jumped into that if she didn't care about you too. If it was anyone else I think she would have taken her time to think through a plan and then get the person out of the way but she didn't, maybe she was scared of losing the unknown too." Owen wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and then lifted the foam cup to take down a large mouthful of coffee, figuring his friend knew what she was talking about, after all, she had been through a similar situation with Arizona.

Regardless of the hours it had been spent waiting for any kind of news at all, Callie had sat with him for as long as she could, she even passed a patient on to her fellow so that she could sit with him a little longer until she couldn't brush it off any longer. Owen assured her that he would be ok and that he would update her as soon as he knew something definite. While he waited he switched between sitting and pacing and rubbing his hands together until Cristina had found him and given him a small smile and nod of her head. The ginger's eyes closed for a moment and he exhaled a breath that he felt he had been holding in all night. 'Come on, I'll take you to her room,' she spoke and he followed without hesitation, just wanting to see that she was ok for himself. God she had to be ok.

He opened her door and blew out another breath as his eyes caught sight of the woman asleep with good vitals, including a strong heart beat, the knots in his stomach unwinding one by one as he moved to sit beside her bed, his hand resting against hers while he sat back. His eyes fell shut, the exhaustion finally wavering over his being and taking him hostage, finally asleep by her bedside. Owen had no idea he had been asleep for but it didn't matter because when he opened his eyes a few hours later and saw the detective waking up, he smiled softly and moved his seat closer to her bed. "You really are reckless," he started and then proceeded to lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead. "They got him and disarmed the bomb, everyone is ok but you gave everyone a scare. You tried to die on me but I wouldn't let you, neither did Dr Yang and you are expected to make a full recovery but the bad news is that you won't be working for a while because the bullet tore a part of your heart." The woman turned her head, groggy from the anesthesia but managed a small smile regardless. "I didn't really think about it, I just dove in," she mumbled, "I broke protocol because i saw you with a gun pointed at your head and my brain just wouldn't function so i just ran into the line of fire."

Those words had meant something to Owen, made his heart beat a little harder in his chest and pulled his lips into a smile. "Well of course you didn't, you're dark." The joke made her smile and even laugh softly, worth the soft groan that came afterwards. "You look worse than me, I hope you know that and i nearly died so i can say that and i can also tell you to go home, shower, eat and then sleep. Don't make me buzz security in here to drag you out, Dr Hunt." He laughed and shook his head, standing to stretch his legs and then lean over again and kiss her lips softly. "I'll be back, just rest," he whispered softly and kissed her again before leaving to go home. 

Home is where he went but he didn't make it to the shower and manage to eat anything, he just kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed and laid on his side, arm tucked under the pillow and blankets pulled over him and then he crashed. Maybe, just maybe, he had found the one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days pass, our detective is doing better and cleared to go home given she rests. Our Doctor and Detective have yet to further talk the incident over, about their feelings toward each other. The question is, can lightning strike three times in the line of love?

"So you are all cleared to go home, but I highly recommend that you take my instructions and rest. You're heart is still weak so please..." Cristina tucked away the signed release forms into a folder that then was wedged beneath her arm. The detective smiled and gave a nod of assurance, "don't worry, I am long overdue for sleep ins and movie marathons. Thank you Dr Yang." Owen came into the room strolling a wheelchair to her bed, offering his support to get her into the chair, after all that would still be a rough task.

While she debated that she could at least walk out of the hospital she also figured it best to listen to the actual doctors and allow Owen to wheel her out. The hall to the exit was lined with her blue blooded family, cheering her out of the hospital and seeing her to her exit. It was a nice gesture and Owen had made sure to keep them all in the loop while she had been kept in bed resting the last few days. The fresh air was nice on her skin and rather refreshing after a stay in hospital. The doctor had opened the door to his truck and then helped her inside, despite the odd look of confusion on her face, completely expectant of Owen driving her home and making sure she got settled in well enough.

"I wasn't going to let you catch a taxi, that is just over the top insane." He closed the passenger door and pushed the wheelchair to a nurse before rounding the vehicle to get into the drivers side. He of course made sure that she was first strapped in and then warm enough, the perfect gentleman. The drive to her house was silent, mostly including her gazing out of the window while Owen drove, taking quick glances at her when he found it safe to do so. Owen was even kind enough to help her inside and he made it look easy, then again she had seen that man without a shirt on and wasn't quite surprised at all, still enjoying the moment nonetheless. "You're lucky you don't have stairs," he spoke softly as he got her sat down on the couch and then navigated his way in her kitchen to make her a cup of hot tea before coming back out to sit down beside her.

"I planned ahead, I figured you're in this line of work and there is a very good chance of getting hurt here and there. That then makes the logic of getting a house with stairs pointless." Owen laughed softly and nodded, draping his arm over the back of the couch. "There is nothing wrong with forward thinking..." He smiled, bringing his hand up to brush his fingers through her hair tentatively. "I don't know what this is, what we are but I do know that I want to figure it out with you." Owen hoped he hadn't scared her or pressured her and all he could do is look at her and try and get a read from her face and he found it rather easy, like she didn't have her shields up around him. She trusted him.

"Really, I am pretty dark. Do you think you can handle dark?" Her words playful and the smile on her face was an added feature to match and he couldn't help but smile in response and tell her that 'I'm dark too so we can figure it out together.' Harris smiled, somewhat worried but figured it best she voice her worries now rather than later when Owen wanted to get married and have her end up now ready for it. "Let's not rush into though, ok? Because rushing things tends to go bad, especially in my experience, and I'd rather not have this go bad. I kind of like you Dr Hunt." At least now it was all cards showing and they could both agree on not rushing things, which would be a nicer pace for him given past circumstances.

The red head scooted closer and brought her head to his chest, cradling the back with his hand, fingers stroking through her brunette strands, his other hand rested against her shoulder while his arm stayed carefully wrapped around her body. "I think we can both agree on that." His words barely a whisper against the top of her head as he held her in his arms for the first time since their first night together and it had felt too long for Owen to not have her in his arms.

Owen had watched her sleep that night, at least until he fell asleep holding her. Something about the way she seemed so peaceful and her body became relaxed, like the world around them didn't matter, comforted him. He had a shift the next morning but he made sure to stop by the cafe around the corner and pick her up some breakfast, opting to leave it on the coffee table in front of the couch with a small note to inform her that he had gone into the hospital and to remind her to take it easy while he was gone. Harris had never needed a man to keep her safe and look after her but she would admit to herself that it felt nice to have Owen care so much about her, to actually have someone worry about her, someone that wasn't someone from work.

The detective sat throughout the day watching movie marathons and ordering in some healthy takeout given she couldn't cook herself, once again not that it happened very often anyway with the hours that she had to work. The hospital had finally began to go back to it's own normal chaotic pace, calming down after the terrorist incident days before and it made it much less tense for Owen to work now that he knew everyone had eased back in and Harris was now at home and ok. He still wanted to ask her a million questions, whether she wanted kids or not or how long she planned or wanted to be working as a detective. He wanted to know everything about her, good and bad.

Harris had fallen back asleep, television control against the arm of the couch with a thin blanket pulled over her. She was still adjusting to the weather in Seattle, cold one day and hot the next. It was different to Boston or New York, at least their weather was somewhat more consistent. The time had gone by so slowly but it was much nicer with Owen's company when he could provide it. The hard part now was doing physiotherapy and being cleared to go back to work, which to mention, the station had almost been completed in the rebuild of the aftermath. The brunette had always hated physiotherapy, she had done it enough after her time in the war and she had done it plenty of times in her career as an officer of the law, now was no different. |

Some days were good and then there were days like the one she was currently having where certain tasks during her therapy were a much harder task, so she would kick something across the room or sit down with her face in her hands and her mind, body and soul was full of discouragement. For the most part she could do everything in therapy but those same things were continuing to hold her back, regardless of her therapist constantly telling her that she was making improvements and getting stronger. She hated it. Harris came home and sat on the couch, head rested against the back just as Owen had gotten home, leaned down to kiss her and then went to the kitchen to get them both a drink. "So," he starts and takes a seat beside her on the couch, "one of those days again?" He asked, able to know the answer by looking at her. "Look, the therapist is right, you are making progress, even if you can't see it, it is progress. You just have to keep with it."

Her head tipped to the side, mouth crooked at the corner before her lips parted to blow out a sigh. "I know," she mumbled, lifting her head to rub the heels of her hands against her eyes. "It's just frustrating, doing the same thing over and over again and never being able to completely finish it." The ginger gently pulled her towards him and pecked her lips, "Patience and time, that's all it's going to take." He pecked her lips once more and smiled just softly at the corners of his lips. "Do you want kids..." Realizing that sounded like it came on way to strong he pulled away from her for a brief moment to look her in the eyes and explain it better, or at least try. "I mean, someday.. do you want kids someday."

The detective gave it some thought and for a moment Owen's stomach was in knots, if she said no he would just be heartbroken all over again and wonder how the hell he had gotten in this same situation three times now. She spoke, "Yeah, someday," and Owen nodded with a smile before confessing that he too wanted kids someday. It had been something he had wanted to ask right from the beginning but that could have come off much too strong and ruined things before they even started and now, well given that Harris was almost completely recovered, he felt what better time to ask. Even though it would of hurt him just as much because he liked her, in a dangerous way and he knew deep down that if his heart was broken again that he wouldn't survive it. Not this time, not again, after Cristina and then Amelia, he just would not be able to pull himself out of the dark hole that was his depression taking over and holding him so tight that it would crush him.


End file.
